Seeing Firelord's actions, Sebastian swung his Supreme Wand fiercely. The space before the Zeus defense satellite immediately distorted, transforming into an invisible wall like ripples on water. It isolated Zeus from the intense heat emanating from Firelord.
At the same time, Sebastian raised his wand again, pointing it directly at Firelord in the core of the high-temperature region. A bolt of lightning shot out instantly, sending Firelord flying backward through space.
Sebastian then transformed into a plume of black smoke, crashing into Firelord and becoming entangled with him as they plummeted towards Egypt.
Whoosh...
Boom!
In a vast desert within Egypt, a meteor wreathed in flames and black smoke crashed down with tremendous force. It created a violent tremor, and a massive amount of yellow sand spread outwards like a tidal wave.
Bang!
A stream of flame shot into the sky, quickly dispelling the black smoke that had enveloped him. Firelord slowly emerged from the crater, holding his cosmic staff with flames burning at both ends. He looked at Sebastian, who had appeared not far in front of him.
"I have long heard of the many obstacles on Earth, but I never imagined you obstacles would appear so soon," Firelord said calmly. "It saves me the trouble of searching for you."
As he spoke, Firelord slowly spun the staff in his hand. The flames at both ends gradually rose higher, forming a huge ring of fire that spun around him. It rapidly melted the yellow sand beneath his feet into a scalding, viscous liquid that looked like molten glass.
Just then, a portal opened beside Sebastian with a flash of golden sparks. Stephen Strange stepped out. Glancing at Firelord, whose temperature was steadily rising, he said directly to Sebastian, "I am not too late, am I?"
"Perfect timing," Sebastian replied. "Take the item out."
"Of course!"
Stephen replied, his hands flicking slightly to form a hand seal. The next second, the Casket of Ancient Winters radiating an intense chilling aura appeared in his hands. Stephen then tossed the Casket of Ancient Winters into the air, and he and Sebastian simultaneously activated its power.
Stephen channeled golden-orange magical energy into the Casket, while Sebastian unleashed a red bolt of lightning from his Supreme Wand, striking the core of the Casket directly.
Guided by the two strongest mages on Earth, the Casket of Ancient Winters, as they predicted, released an astonishingly vast amount of icy energy. It swept towards Firelord like a blizzard.
A storm of icy blue frost collided head-on with Firelord's swirling flaming staff. Ice and fire neutralized each other, releasing a large amount of water vapor. However, this vapor condensed into ice particles and snowflakes the moment it reached Firelord's vicinity, scattering outwards.
Gradually, the entire desert was covered in ice and snow, transforming into a completely different landscape.
As for Firelord within the core of the icy energy, the flames on his body gradually weakened. The icy energy isolated him from absorbing cosmic energy, forcing him to rely solely on his own strength to resist its onslaught. This directly weakened the energy within his body, and his fiery form gradually dimmed.
Boom!
The last burst of frost energy erupted from the Casket of Ancient Winters, which had previously radiated an icy blue glow. The Casket, now dull and lifeless, fell to the ground. It seemed unlikely to be usable for several years. Even the power of authority was not inexhaustible.
Stephen put away the Casket of Ancient Winters carefully, while Sebastian went directly to Firelord, who was frozen solid in ice.
At this moment, Firelord's power was barely enough to keep him from being killed by the ice and to sustain his life. Isolated by the Ice Authority, he could not absorb power from the universe and therefore could not revive.
A wand tapped lightly on the ice, and Firelord's cosmic staff, its flames extinguished at both ends, emerged from the ice and fell into Sebastian's hand. Looking at the staff, Sebastian determined it was similar to the Silver Surfer's surfboard, only seemingly much weaker. He casually tossed the staff to Stephen.
"Stephen, give this to Tony and Reed," Sebastian instructed. "They can use it to figure out the type of power they are using, and then we can develop a way to counter it. As for this guy, I will take him to my Magic Dimension and imprison him. If you need anything else, contact me."
Taking the cosmic staff, Stephen nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."
Without another word, Sebastian slightly waved his wand. He instantly transformed the frozen Firelord into a twisted vortex and disappeared from the spot, reappearing beside his main body in the Magic Dimension. He placed Firelord and the sealed Silver Surfer in a corner of the hall.
Having done this, Sebastian's clone left the Magic Dimension again and returned to Earth, while Sebastian's main body opened his eyes. He slightly waved to the silver surfboard placed beside him. The silver surfboard quickly shrank to the size of a palm and landed in Sebastian's palm.
Holding the silver surfboard, Sebastian sensed the power contained within it and gradually began to understand. Originally, Sebastian thought they were using cosmic energy, but now it seemed that cosmic energy was just something like food or air. After the cosmic energy was absorbed into the bodies of the Silver Surfer and Firelord, it was refined into the power they used through some special method. However, what exactly that power was still needed for Sebastian to study further.
Death's Visit
At this moment, a woman with black eyes and long, jet-black hair, dressed in a flowing black dress, appeared in Sebastian's hall. She looked at the hall's layout, then at Firelord and Silver Surfer imprisoned to the side. Then she turned to Sebastian and smiled as she said, "You are more decisive than I expected. You have already captured two of Galactus's four Heralds."
Sebastian looked up at her and smiled, saying, "Respected Death, I suppose your sudden appearance here in an avatar is not just to reminisce?"
Death smiled and said to Sebastian, "You are now among the top beings in the universe. You could easily remain aloof. Why get involved in the affairs of the lower realms?"
"My Magic Dimension originated from Earth, so of course I cannot allow Earth to be devoured by Galactus," Sebastian replied. "As for other planets, they are none of my concern."
"If you insist on fighting Galactus, then I can offer you some assistance," Death said.
"Oh? Then I must thank you sincerely," Sebastian responded.
"Galactus is the last surviving member of the previous era's universe, and because of this, he became one of the five great cosmic entities alongside us," Death explained. "However, his condition is very unstable. The hungrier he is, the weaker he becomes. Theoretically, his strength can be reduced to the level of an ordinary Demon God or a Dimensional Lord, and this is your only chance."
Looking thoughtfully at Death, Sebastian murmured, "Hunger... then how should we make him hungry?"
"That is for you to find out yourselves, but I can give you a hint: you have already found a clue," Death said cryptically. "Continue your investigation, and you should be able to uncover the truth.
Finally, I can tell you what power Galactus uses, the power he bestowed upon his Heralds—that power is called the Power Cosmic. It is the sublimated power of authority.
If you can master this power, at least you will not be powerless against Galactus."
Hearing Death's words, Sebastian slowly nodded, then looked at Death and asked, "Why help us? According to you, at your level, there is absolutely no need for you to get involved in these matters, is there?"
Death did not immediately answer Sebastian. Her body gradually became ethereal. Just as she was about to completely disappear, her voice slowly echoed in Sebastian's ears.
"The five primordial cosmic entities each have their favored ones," Death said. "Eternity favors the Ancient One, and I favor you. Do not disappoint me. You have officially started from the beginning."
With that, Death's avatar completely vanished from the Magic Dimension.
Sebastian's expression was inscrutable at this moment, but he quickly put those matters aside. He grabbed the Silver Surfer's silver surfboard again and began to study everything about the Power Cosmic. Death had already taught Sebastian a great deal and had helped him find his research direction. Now all he needed was time!
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